Coke oven doors and door handling machines



March 12, 1957 J. M. GILLOTT I 2,784,849

COKE OVEN DOORS AND DOOR HANDLING MACHINES Filld June 23, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Attorneys March 12, 1957 J. M. GILLOTT 2,784,849

COKE OVEN DOORS AND DOOR HANDLING MACHINES Atlorneys March 12, 1957 J.M. GILLOTT COKE OVEN DOORS AND DOOR HANDLING MACHINES 5 Sheeis-Sheet 3Filed June 23, 1952 l I nventor Jbw M 6 1.44 arr B wag/fwd Aitorney sMarch 12, 1957 GILLQTT 2,784,849

COKE OVEN DOORS AND DOOR HANDLING MACHINES Filed June 23, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG/3 nvenfor Atjarneys United States Patent COKE OVENDOORS ANDDOOR HANDIJNG MACHINES John Melville Gillott, Sheffield,England Application June 23, 1952, Serial No. $5,945 Claims. (Cl. 212-4Thisinvention relates to door handling machines for horizontal cokeovens, and is concerned with a machine for handling self-sealing doorsof the kind described in U. S. Patent No. 2,759,884 in which lockingbars m'ovable relative to each other are disposed at different heightsof the door to engage corresponding hooks on the oven structure toresolve the weight of the door into sealing thrusts andthrust-compensating gear interconnects the locking means to ensuresimultaneous weight-resolution by the locking means and unfairdistribution of the thrust between the locking means.

The main object of the invention is to provide a handling machine thattakes the weight of the door and transfers the door to itself as theresult of an approach movement towards the door, without applying anycontacting thrust to the door itself as would endanger the self-sealingstrips or like members. Other objectsand advantages will appear from thefollowing detailed description.

According to the present invention, a handling machine for such doorscomprises an extractor head with a contact member adapted to contactpart of the oven structure other than a door and movable with respect tothe head on continuing movement of the head towards a door, and adoor-supporting member movable to take the weight of the door, thecontact member and the supporting member being so interconnected andmounted that the thrust of the contact member against the structure isresolved into an upward movement of the supporting member. The contactmember thrust is applied by the movement of the head towards the door,but is taken by the structure, and not by the door, and, therefore, notby the sealing members round the door. Moreover, separate motor-drivenmechanism does not have to be provided to effect transfer of the weightof the door to the head.

Further contact members may be provided to disengage the locking barsfrom the books by continuing movementof the head when the weight hasbeen transferred to the head. Latch bars, preferably controlled by thefurther contact members, hook over catch bars on the door to hook thedoor positively to the extractor head.

Converse operations take place on the application of the door to theframe by the head, the weight being transferred from the supportingmember to the frame after the further contact members have permittedre-engagement of the locking bars, and the latch bars being unhooked.from the catch bars to allow the door to remain in the frame as the headis withdrawn. Again, the first thrust of the contact member connected tothe supporting member on the approaching head is taken by the structure,not by the door.

The supporting member may be connected to the contact member by actuallycarrying it, being itself so mounted or formed that the resultantmovement relative to the head after first contact is resolved into alifting movement; or the contact member may be mounted on a separatemember movable relative'to the head, that member being so mounted orformed as to produce (through a connection to the supporting member) alifting movement of the supporting member.

The operating height of the head may be related to the vertical positionof an individual door by means of a guide surface placed at apredetermined height with respect to the door on the oven structure, theguide surface being engaged by the head in its approach to the door.

This invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a door handling machine with a doorextractor head approaching a door to be removed;

Figure 2 is a corresponding view of the extractor head with its approachto the door completed;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the door and the door frame;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a detail of the door mechanism and aninterengaging part of the extractor mechanism to a larger scale;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of Figure 4, partly in section;

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a detail of the doormechanism to a larger scale;

Figures 7 and 8 are side elevations (Figure 7 in partsection) of detailsof the extractor mechanism to a larger scale;

Figures 9 and 10 correspond to Figures 1 and 2, but show modifiedextractor and door mechanism;

Figure 11 is a front elevation of the middle section of the door ofFigures 9 and 10;

Figure 12 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a detail of thedoor mechanism of Figures 9 and 10, to a larger scale; and

Figures 13 and 14 are side elevations of two further modifications ofextractor and door mechanism.

In Figure l, the carriage 1 of a door-handling machine is shownsupported by wheels 2 on tracks 3 on a ramming and levelling machine 4capable of being moved in the usual way along the ramming side of abattery of coke ovens to bring either the ram 5 or the carriage intooperative alignment with any oven in the battery. The forward end of thecarriage l carries two vertical pivot pins 7, on which lugs 8 at therear of an extractor head 9 provide for pivoting of the head when it haspicked up a door and been retracted in the machine 4. The head 9consists mainly of two spaced vertical side members (one only visible),the space between them providing for the mounting of various elementsdescribed below. ROllers 10 at the top of the head 9 engage with guiderails 11 on beams 12 of the machine 4 to keep the head 9 aligned withthe oven; the beams 12 also serve to guide the upper part of the machine1, which is provided with vertical rollers 13 and a horizontal roller 14to engage the beams.

The machine 1 is advanced and retracted by a motor 15. On fullretraction, the rollers 1i] clear the guide rails 11, when the head 9may be pivoted about the pins 7 for better access to the face of a doorcarried by the head, to enable the door to be cleaned ready forreplacement.

In Figures 1 and 2, a door 16 is shown making selfsealing contactthrough a sealing strip 17 with a face 18 of a door frame 19 secured tothe oven structure. The door is carried by pairs of hooks 29 on theframe 19, through, locking bars 21 mounted on horizontal pivots 22 inslides 23 vertically movable between guides 24 on the back plate 25 ofthe door (see also Figure 6). As shown in Figure 3, the slides 23 areconnected by links 26 to the ends of an equalising lever 27 mounted on aar est horizontal pivot 28 extending outwardly from the back plate ofthe door.

With the two ends 29 of each locking bar 21 engaged in the correspondinghook 2-9, the centre-lines of each bar from theirengagernent withthehooks to the centre of the pivot 22 makes a small angle with thehorizontal, so that the weight of the door .is revolved into horizontalthrusts to urge the sealing strip 17 into contact with the door frame19. Because of the interconnection of the slides 23 through the links 26and lever 27, the horizontal thrusts at the two locking ,bars 21 aresubstantially equalised at upper and lower levels of the door, withconsequent ei'ective distribution of pressure over the length of thesealing strip. If either 'bar 21 makes contact with it's hook [2d beforethe other bar 21 has made contact, any attempt of the first bar to exertits sealing thrust assists in forcing the other bar towards contact, sothat both bars must make contact before the sealing thrusts can bedeveloped,

, The. equalising lever 27 takes up a posit'io'n about its pivot 28 inaccordance with the positions assumed by the slides 23 inbringing thelocking bars 21 intoequalised engagement with the hooks 26), In theremoval I of the door, the weight of the door is taken by the machine 1through the hub 30 of the lever27, and engagement with the hub isthrough a flat V-notch 31in a slide 131 contacted by theend'of asupporting orlifting beam 32 (Figures 4 and 5). Thus, When the beam islifted, it locks'the lever 27 and the barpivots 22 remain immovable inheight with respect to the door 16. The bars thus remain correctlypositioned for later replacement of the door.

Figure 1 shows the supporting beam 32 pivoted at its rear end to the topof a link 33 pivoted at a lower position 34 to the head i and supportedby a roller 35 at the front of the head. A spring 36 urges the generallyhorizontal beam 32 forwardly, so that the beam acts as a push-rod. Atthe partial approach of the head 9 shown in Figure l, a bar 37 carriedby and projecting to each side of the beam 32 has just made contact withpads 38 on the oven buckstays 39. These pads are of such thickness orare so adjusted that at this time the forward end of the beam 32 ispositioned below .the notch 31 of the slide 131 of the lever 27, andclear of the back plate 25 of the door.

In the further approach of the carriage l to bring the head 9 to theposition shown in Figure 2,.the re-. straining contact between the bar37 and the pads 38 causes the spring 36 to be compressed as the beam 32;forces the link 33 of the head rearwardly and downwardly. The roller 35moves along a cam surface 40 on .the underside of the beam 3?, (see alsoFigure 8) and the combined action of the cam and the downward movementof the. rearend of the beam under the swingss the lin 55 m ar n upward.mo em n to th forward end of the beam and to the V-notch 3d, sulficientto take up the initial clearance below the hub 30 and to take the weightof the door, the locking bars 21 then no longer transmitting the weightof the door to the hooks 2% A total movement of about 4 suflices, duringmuch of which the sealing strips have been so much relieved of thrustthat the actual lifting of the door is not accompanied by any verticalsliding of the sealing strips while they are under heavy sealingpressure against the sealing surface.

In the final part of the approach, pairs of links or levers 41 extendingupwardly and forwardly from horizontal pivots 42 in the head 9 have eachbrought-a roller 43 into contact with a plate td extending across thedoor front. The links 4-]; are urged outwardly by springs 45, which arecompressed by the contact made by the rollers 43. The ends of the links4-]. engage the underside of the locking bars 21 (now relieved ofthrust) and swing them about their pivots 22 until the ends 29 are clearabovethe hooks 20.

The nks 41 are interc nnected w th the lat tor hooking the door to thehead 9. The upper pair f links 41 have a shoulder 46, which lies below acrossbar 47 (Figure 7) of an upper latch 48 to form a stop that preventsdropping of the latch until the hooked end 49 has passed over a catchbar 50 extending across the door. A link 51 similarly controls a lowerlatch 52. Dropping of the upper latch 43 brings the upper end 53 of acatch lever 54 pivoted at 54 on lugs 55 of the latch 48 down the face ofa catch bar 56 on the head 9 and into a notch 57 formed by the bar-56and a second bar 58 across the side members of the head 9. The latchbars 48, 52 cannot now disengage from the bars 50, since the latch bar48 is held engaged by the catch bar 56 through the catch lever 54.

The weight of the door now being taken by the machine 1, the lockingbars 21 being lifted clear of the books 26, and the door 16 beinglatched to the head 9 by the engagement of the latches 48, 52 with thebars 56', the door may be removed by a withdrawal of the carriage 1 byreverse operation of themotor 15. The operative end of the supportingbeam 32 remains ,in,

7 contact (via the V-block 31) with the hub 30 of the lever 27 as thebar 37 on the beam 32leaves the plates 33 on the buckstays 39, theroller 35 by this time having engaged the underside of the eam 32 beyondthe roller 40, with the beam swung by the backward movement of the link33 into a position where it retains the weight of the door.

Removal of the door thus involves a partial approach of the carriage 1(which may be rapid to the position shown in Figure 1), then a slowerapproach to the p0v sition shown in Figure 2, and a withdrawal of themachine (which may be slow at first, thenvrapid). During the initialadvance, a roller 59 in bearings at the bottom of the head 9 rides up aramp 60 set with its top surface at a predetermined height with respectto the oven 6 to bring the head 9 to a correct height for engagement ofthe supporting beam 32, links 41, and latches 48, 52 with thecorresponding members of the door of that particular oven. The use ofthe pad 60 eliminates discrepancies in vertical dimensions, as of thedoor frame in the oven structure, or the height of the machine trackwith respect to the structure. The head is thus always brought to thecorrect heightat any particular oven. The vertical pivots 7 providesuificient play for the lugs 8 to allow the head 9 to be lifted by theramp 60. Figures 13 and 14 show an alternative arrangement with a rollerhaving controlled movement on the head,'to be pressed on to a supportingsurface by mechanism interconnected with the supporting beam me a sm-With the head 9 withdrawn to bring the roller 10 clear of the guides 11,the head may be swung about the pivots 7 to enable the sealing strips-tobe clearedof tar before the door is returned to the oven.

Replacement of the door i6 is effected by a similar approach, firstrapid, then slow, during which the bar 37 contacts the pads 38, and thelinks '31 keep the locking bars 21. above the hooks 2d, the positionshown in Figure 2 again being reached. When it is seen that the sealingstrips 17 are correctly seated, a thruster 61 is operated. Thisjisconnected to an armVdZ 0f the catch lever 54, and its first result is tofree the ,upper latch 48. Next, the thruster drives the arm 62 against alug 63 on thelatch 43 to lift the latch, andfthrough the link51-.-thelatch 52. The lower latch closes a limit switch 64 in the withrawalcircuit of the motor 15, so that withdrawal is dependent on the doorhaving been unlatched. Thelimit switch 64 has previously been openedwhen the latches 48, .52 have been allowed to fall to engage the door tothe head, and the switch may thus be used to stop'the forward movementof the machine when this engagement has been effected. A slow withdrawal"then allows the links 41-to lower the locking bars 21 into the hoolcs20 anew (and to hold the latches lifted by the shoulder 46 again passingunder the cross-bar 47); then the lowering of the operative end of thesupporting beam 32 transfers the weight of the door to the hooks 20through the locking bars 21 for the equalising sealing thrust to beapplied, and the beam 32 is brought clear of the hub 30 of theequalising lever 27. The beam 32 is r e-set by the spring 36, and thelinks or levers 41 by the springs 45, the springs 45 also serving tourge the door away from the head, i. e., towards the door frame. a

A similar door handling machine is employed at the discharge side of thebattery.

Except for the operation of the thruster 61 to disengage the latches48,52 to leave a door to be left in its frame when placed by the machine,the placing and withdrawal of a door result solely from similarmovements of the extractor head 9 towards and away from the ovenstructure. The power required to transfer the weight of the door fromthe hooks 20 to the extractor head (via the beam 32) is derived from theapproach movement of the head 9; the reverse transfer of Weight to thehooks 20 in the placing of a door is controlled by the withdrawal of thehead 9 from the oven structure.

Accurate vertical alignment of the head 9 and its mechanism with a doorto be withdrawn is ensured by the roller 59 and the ramp 60. Horizontalpositioning of the head and its mechanism is ensured by contact of thebar 37 with the buckstays. This brings the beam 32 into position toreceive the weight of the door after a slight lift of the forward end ofthe beam. The contact of the extractor mechanism from which operation ofthe beam 32 results is against the oven structure-not against thedoor-and the sealing strip 17 is not subjected to extra thrust. If thebuckstays become distorted, the pads 38 are appropriately adjusted tocontrol the first contact made by the 'bar 37.

The locking bars 21 are relieved of thrust as the weight is taken by thehead 9, and are free to be swung clear of the hooks 20, thus making itunnecessary to lift the door itself over the substantial height thatwould otherwise be necessary to clear the bars 21 from the hooks.Consequently, vertical movement of the sealing strip 17 while in contactwith the sealing face 18 is reduced to small extent, while the sealingstrip has been relieved of thrust.

The door is thus placed in its frame by a movement that is mainlyhorizontal, and this assists in the correct fitting of the sealing stripof a particular door to the sealing face of a particular door frame towhich it has been adjusted. Then, when the bars 21 have been re-engagedin the hooks 2d, the sealing thrust derived from the weight of the dooris brought into operation as the supporting beam 32 is relieved of theweight, and the equalising connection between the bars 21 ensures thatthe sealing thrust is satisfactorily distributed.

The parts of the mechanism should be so proportioned and adjusted thatthe door does not rest on the soleplate of the oven; the full weight ofthe door is then available for resolution into equalised sealingthrusts. The parts of the mechanism lend themselves to robustconstruction, adequate to withstand the stress of handling the heavydoor and capable of placing it with considerable precision against itsframe. The mechanism of the machine is positive in action in itsoperation of the door and provides for the simple control of lockingmechanism on the door that produces equalised sealing thrusts withoutrelying on the resilience of springs in positions necessarily exposed tothe considerable heat of the oven.

The operation may be summarised:

To remove a door 16 from the oven, the carriage 1 and head 9 areadvanced on the machine 4 by the motor 15 to bring the end of the beam32 under the notch 31, and the head 9 continues to advance after thebeam 32 has been checked by the bar 37 on the beam 32 encountering thepads 38 on the oven structure, so that the beam is lifted by the cam 40running over the roller 35. The;

weight of the door 16 is thus taken by the head 9.

The advance of the head 9 also brings the links 41 into contact with thedoor itself, thus thrusting their ends upwards to release the lockingbars 21 from the hooks 20 for complete release of the door from the ovenstructure. The advance of the head 9 also allows the latches 48, 52(already in lowered position) to snap over the bars 50 on the door, sothat the door is engaged to the head and is withdrawn by it on reverseactuation of the motor 15.

To replace in the door frame a door 16 already supported on the beam 32and engaged by the latches 48, 52, a similar advance is made by the head9. With the door placed within the doorframe, but still supported by thehead, the thruster 61 is operated to raise the latches 48, 52, so thatwithdrawal of the head 9 first allows the links 41 to lower th-e lockingbars 21 into position to engage the hooks 20 and then causes the beam 32to lower, to allow the weight of the door to be taken 'by the hooks 20and the sealing thrusts to be developed by the lockings bars 21.

Figures 9 and 10 show'a modified machine, in this ininstance shownapplied at the discharge side. Although modified in shape, the carriageof the machine and the extractor head are essentially the same as inFigures 1 and 2; and, for simplicity, like parts are designated by thesame reference numerals, with the sufiix A.

The supporting beam 32A makes contact with a bracket 65 fixed to theback plate 25A of the door 16A. The latches 48A, 52A have inclinedleading ends 66 to snap over the 'bars 50A. The thruster 61A operates alever 67 to release the latches through the connecting link 51A.

A push rod 68 carried by the head 9A is urged forwardly by a spring 69.The end 70 of the push rod presses a catch lever 71 (Figures 10 and 11)clear of the upper end of a vertical slide 72 on the door 16A by whichthe equalising lever 27A is carried. A collar 73 on the push rod 68 thenoperates one arm of a bell-crank lever 74 pivoted at 75 on the head 9Afor the other arm 76 (now lying in a cavity 77 in the slide '72) to liftthe slide. The resultant lift of the equalising lever 27A lifts bothlocking bars 21A and then causes snugs' 78 (Figure 12) at the rear ofthe locking bar pivot hubs to make contact with stops 79, thus causingthe bars 21A to rock clear of the hooks 20A.

With a slow advance of the head 9A from the position of Figure 9 to thatof Figure 10, the beam 32A takes the weight of the door; the equalising:lever slide 72 is freed from the catch lever 71; the slide 72 is liftedto lift the equalising lever 27A, so that the locking oars 21A are firsteased in the hooks 20A and then rocked clear of the hooks; and thelatches 48A, 52A snap into position. In the latter partof the advance,spring plungers 80 projecting from the head 9A are compressed againstplates 81 extending across the door. The door may now be withdrawn.

Replacement of the door is effected by an advance of the head 9A anddoor 16A to the position of Figure 10, when maintained operation of thethruster 61A lifts the latches 48A, 52A, and holds them clear as thehead" is retracted, the plungers 80 then pressing the door away from thehead and against the frame 19A. The lever 74 allows the slide 72 tofall, for the locking bars 21A to re-engage the hooks 20A and applyequalised thrusts via the sealing strips 17A as the supporting beam 32Ais lowered from the bracket 65, the catch lever 71 being pressed by aspring 82 over the slide 72.

Figure 13 shows modifications of mechanism generally similar to that ofFigures 1 and 2. Like parts are again designated by the same referencenumerals, with the suflix B The supporting beam 32B is lifted by meansof a cam 82 pivoted at 83 to the head 9B when rollers 84 contact plates28B on the buckstays 3913. The cam surface 85 that provides the liftcontinues to a concentric surface 86 to maintain the lift. A followerroller 87 is carried 7 by aleverj;88 pivoted at 34B and ends in a roller89 to engage the u nderside of the'beam 32B. 7

A link 90 pivoted at 91 to the lever 88 is pivoted to the-rear end-920ia lever '93 pivoted at 94 at the bottom ofthe'head 9B. The forwardend-0f the lever 93 carries a roller -95--th at-is thrust 'downintocontact with a pad 603 set at apredetermined height-with respect to thedoor-frame, so thatthe'head 9Bi s bronghtto correct engaging height.-

The thruster 61Bengages theupper latch 48B directly, but could-equallyengageit through a catch lever similar to the lever 54 in Eigure 6'.

Figure 14 shows afurther modification, withlike parts to those appearingin other figures designated by the sutiix--C.

"The cam 82C is located at the top of the head 96, andits'fol-lower-roller-87C isoarried by alink 96 pivoted at '97. Theroller end of the link 96 is connected by a link 98 toa lifting roller89C under the supporting beam 320. With the beam 32C lifted, a notch 99is brought clear of a roller 100, and the final advance of the head 9Cbrings the roller 100 underthe forward end of the beam to maintain thelift.

The link 98 is connected, by its endcarryingthe roller 89C, .to a link9tlC to thrust a roller 95C into contact with a pad 66C, to bring thehead 9C to a predetermined height.

The locking bars 21C are lifted by levers 101 pivoted at 102 to thrusterarms 80C and continuing to make rolling contact at 103 with the .frontedge of the head 9C. Rollers 104 on the arms 86C first make contact withplates 'on'the buckstays to. compress the thrusters, and further advanceof the head 90 swings the levers 101 about the pivot 102 to bringnotched ends 105 into lifting contact with the locking bars 21C. The.thrusters 80C urge the door away from the head during the replacementof the door.

What I claim is:

1. A doorrhandling machine for a self-sealing door for ahorizontalcoke-oven in which the door has locking bars that not. onlyserve to lock the door by engaging hooks on the door frame but alsotransmit the weight of the door to the hooks and are interconnected toeach other so as to produce equalised sealing thrusts derived from theweight of the door, together with at least one latch bar on the door,said machine comprising an extractor head movable towards and away froman oven structure, two distinct contact means carried by and movablewith respect to the head, and adaptedrespectivcly to contact the ovenstructure and the door structure, a door-supporting beam pivoted on thehead and carrying the first contact; means, a roller-andcam connectionbetween the beam and the head to effect a weight-taking movement of thebeam when the contact means encounter the oven structure in an approachmovement, the other contact means serving to disengage the locking barsfrom the hooks in a further approach movement as a result of consequentrelative movementbetween the other contact means and the head, andalatch on the head to engage a latch bar on the door and secure to thehead a door Cir assists whose weight has been taken by the headiromgt-hehooks engaged by the locking bar-s, thus enabling 'the'head' to;

hooks on the door frame but also transmit the weight of'the door to thehooks finders-interconnected to each other so as to produce equalisedsealing thrusts derived from the weight of the door, togetherwith atleast one latch bar on the door, said machine comprising an extractorhead movable towards and away from an oven structure, two distinctcontact "means carried by and movable with respect to thehead', andadapted respectively to contact the oven structure and the doorstructure, a door-supporting member mounted on but-movable withrespcct-to=thehead andconnected to the first contact means to take theweight-of' the door-when the contact means encounter-the oven structurein an ap-- proach movement as a result of consequent relative movementbetween the contact means and'the head, locking-bar engaging membersconnected to the other contact means to disengage the locking bars fromthe hooks in a further approach movement as a result of consequentrelative movement between the other contact means and the head, a latchon the head to engage a latch bar on the door and secure to the head adoor whose-weight has'been takenby thehead from the hooksengaged by thelocking bars, thus enabling the head to move the door away from the ovenstructure, a shoulder on .a locking-bar engaging member, and a cross-baron the latch positioned to rest on the shoulder to hold the latch lifteduntil movement of that engaging member by its door-contacting meansremoves the shoulder from the cross-bar.

3. A door-handling machine as in claim 2, comprising two interconnectedlatches, one of which is held lifted by the interconnection when theother .is held lifted by the shoulder.

4. A door-handling machine as in claim 2, comprising acatch leverpivoted on the latch, a catch bar on the head to be engagedby the leverwhen the latchen; gages its latch bar, to prevent disengagement of thelatch, and latchrdisengaging means connected to the e e ce t d nth fil oth snatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,141,132 Mclntire June 1, 19152,123,521 1938 2,157,567 1939 2,182,494 Lavely Dec. 5, 1939 2,299,916McIntire Oct. 27, 1942 2,598,582 Melzer May 27, 1952 ow M

